Javier Gil Humphrey Spearo
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The Gulf Of Mexico, a spearo's dream playground! Alchemy partner Javier Gil, born and bred in those waters, explains in glorious detail what one needs to know before embarking on such a magnificent adventure. What equipment & techniques are used? Which are the best spearfishing spots? How can one get to those? Which local laws should one be aware of? Which are the most popular species? Trophy fish? Javier Explains.



Location & Species


My name is Javier Gil, i live in Tampico, which is a small town in the state of Tamaulipas, in the north east coast of Mexico. Spearfishing season in the Gulf of Mexico goes from around April all the way to September, but the best months to catch a big fish here are May, June and July. At the same time you get the best water visibility and the best climate.Some of the popular species we get here in the Gulf are cubera, african pompano & amberjack. Sometimes we get groupers, black groupers and gag groupers. If you're lucky enough you run into a hogfish and  you can take for granted it will be a monster. Also sometimes we get to see wahoo in the oil rigs but it's not so common.



Techniques & Gear


We use several techniques here to get fish like chumming, flashers, etc. But for me, the one that works the most is to generate curiosity on the fish by pretending you don't care about its presence. Regarding gear, it all depends where i'm spearfishing that day. If i'm going to the oil rigs i'll choose a big gun with a reel, as it's very uncomfortable to be pulling your float line with your float as it gets tangled in the legs of the oil rigs. On other hand, if i'm  going spearfishing to a shipwreck or a reef or an open area, i'll take a gun with a breakaway set up, a float line and a float.



Any Interesting Stories?


The most exciting experience i've had in spearfishing here in Tampico, was one time we went to the oil rigs, me and a friend of mine and i remember i was on one corner of the oil rig,  as he went to leave a fish to the boat. I was looking down, when suddenly this school of yellow  jacks was coming up but they were scared of something and right beneath them i sea huge shadow! I couldn't tell what was  it, until it came up right by my side and saw a 400 pound blue marlin! Unfortunately before seeing that fish i was   getting my speargun loaded and one of the  bands broke, so even though i had him 15 feet away and had the correct gun, my float and my float line, i was missing one band, so i decided not to take a shot.




Watch Javier Kick His Carbon Fins In The Gulf





The Complete Guide To Spearfishing Oil Rigs



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